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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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• Frequently asked Questions (419 FAQ)
• Phone numbers used by 419 scammers
  (+225 +229 +234 +27 +31 +32 +34 +44 other)
• Company names mentioned in 419 spam:
  1 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
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Victims never receive this non-existent fortune but are tricked into sending their money to the criminals, who remain anonymous. They hide their real identity and location by using fake names and fake postal addresses as well as communicating via anonymous free email accounts and mobile phones.

Read more about such scams here or in our 419 FAQ. Use the Scam-O-Matic to verify suspect emails.

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Some comments by the Scam-O-Matic about the following email:

• An email address listed inside this email has been used in a known fraud before.
• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "million us dollars" (they want you to be blinded by the prospect of quick money, but the only money that ever changes hands in 419 scams is from you to the criminals)
  • "is 100% risk free" (almost true for the criminal - arrests of online criminals are rare)
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  
• This email lists mobile phone numbers. Use of such numbers is typical for scams because they allow criminals to conceal their true location. They can receive calls in an Internet cafe from where they send you emails, while pretending to be in some office.
  • +34639064400 (Spain, prepaid mobile phone)
• This email lists free webmail addresses. Use of such addresses is typical for scams. Lotteries, banks and any but the smallest of companies do not normally use such addresses. Criminals use them to anonymously send and receive email at Internet cafes.
  • martins_gomez@lycos.es (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: SR.MARTINS GOMEZ <martins_gomez@lycos.es>
Date: Mon, 08 May 2006 17:35:05 +0200
Subject: TRANSFER OF US$10.5 M FOR INVESTMENT.


FROM SR.MARTINS GOMEZ
DIRECTOR, DELIVERY/OPERATIONS, TRANSWORLD SECURITIES,MADRID SPAIN
TELE:+34-639-064-400
FAX:+34-911-849-924
E-MAIL: martins_gomez@lycos.es


RE:TRANSFER OF US$10.5 M FOR INVESTMENT.

I am SR MARTINS GOMEZ, the director of delivery/Operations Tran world Securities, Madrid Spain. Our firm is a company of high repute with years of outstanding services, especially top Government officials and military leaders in Africa.

I have resolved to contact you through this medium based on business proposal that will be of mutual benefit to both of us. I have not discussed this transaction with anybody because it is of top secret.

To be explicit and straight to the point, sometime early 2000 a reputable client of ours deposited a consignment in our company vault for Safe keeping. And since then our client has failed to come forward to claim his consignment, has accumulated a considerable amount of money. Consequently, in our bid to contact this client to redeem the demurrage which his consignment had accumulated we discovered that our client was the former President of the Federation Republic of Zaire, who died of illness after he was dethroned in the same year the consignment was entrusted into our care. Since the death of our client President Mobutu Seseseko, none of his benefactors has come forward to claim the consignment with us, which means that non of his relatives or aids has any knowledge of this consignment. Hence out of curiosity I decided to secretly open the two boxes that our client deposited in our vault. And to my surprise I discovered that the boxes that were registered as treasure by our client actually contained a considerable amount of money in United States Dollars amounting to about US$10.5 million US Dollars.

Since this development I have been nursing plans secretly. I also found out from enquiries and the foreign media that our late client siphoned a lot of money from his country while he was in office as head of state. It is my conviction that the consignment in our vault was part of the money that our client siphoned and now that he is dead there is no trace to this money in our care. I am now soliciting your noble assistance to assist me in transferring this money out of Madrid Spain to your country for immediate investment with your assistance.

I have also decided that you will generously be entitled to 35 % while 55% will be for me and 10% for taxation and miscellaneous expenses of the total amount. Upon my receipt of your reply confirming your willingness to assist me, I will immediately arrange and transfer all the rights of ownership of this consignment to your name to facilitate your easy clearance and transfer of the complete funds to your country for onwards investment. This transaction is 100% risk free. Please maintain absolute confidential on this matter. I await your most prompt response through my telephone or e-mail address.

Yours faithfully
Sr. MARTINS GOMEZ +34-639-064-400

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam